Are drilling sites set in Mahoning?

I had the opportunity to observe a drilling unit or processing facility in the Harrison-Guernsey- Tuscarawas-Belmont counties area. It was near Cadiz. It looked like a village! Do we have any information on where such drilling units may be placed in Mahoning County yet?

It’s difficult to say what the size of the drilling units will be, but it’s safe to say some will be large like the one you saw in Cadiz. Most of the drilling sites in the Mahoning Valley thus far are not large enough to say they look like a village, but they certainly are all a significant size.

The best way to learn ahead of time where drill pads of any size will be placed in the Valley is to watch the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website at www.ohiodnr.com/oil/shale/tabid/23174/Default.aspx. This site includes information about where drilling permits have been issued, how far along each site is in the process and production information for oil and gas throughout the state.

Are the use of ‘thumper trucks’ any indication that a drilling unit may eventually be in that area?

The use of seismic trucks may or may not be an indicator that drilling will occur in a certain area, but it definitely means that oil and gas companies are considering the area as somewhere that production is possible. These companies use the trucks to determine the thickness of the shale in a particular area to help determine if drilling is likely to yield positive results.

Seismic testing is kind of like taking an ultrasound of the Earth. The trucks shake the ground creating waves under the ground. Some of those waves bounce back each time the waves hit a new layer of rock.

It’s getting cold out. Does fracking stop in the winter?

Oil and gas production does not stop for any reason. It’s the type of work that continues regardless of weather conditions. Experts from throughout the industry have stated that once a well has been started, the process has to continue through completion.

Once a well has been drilled, it is possible that a company may plug a well and then wait for more pipelines to be developed before continuing with production, but drilling is like the postal service — it won’t be stopped by rain, sleet, snow or hail.